Show us your equipment!

[Ambermile]

Thought I'd post a few of the 22" - this was the last time out before the goto stuff goes on it, taken last weekend at the Spring Equinox star party here in the UK. Yes ,it was foggy:sadeyes:

Arthur

PS - Celestron 114mm reflector, if you must know :D

[montewilson]

10/10 for craftsmanship and appearance. I hope to goto stuff doesn't detract too much from the clean lines. Don't worry it will be clear one day!

[iceman]

That's a lovely looking scope Arthur!

[Glenhuon]

I've had the 60mm refractor for about 15 years, named the Tennerscope as it cost $10 complete with GEM from the recycle guy at the local tip. The finder and mount screws were all missing and no eyepieces but, being a fitter, they were manufactured during lunchbreaks (or when the boss wasn't looking). The first eyepiece was the lens from an 8mm cine projector turned down to fit the focuser, and it gave me my first views of the moon and milky way through a telescope. Optics are first class with no signs of chromic aberation. The tripod was a donation from some friendly surveyors :)
The 150 reflector was bought a couple of weeks ago so hasn't had a lot of use yet. It has taken a bit of fiddling to get the mirrors into better collimation, and the purchase of a few more eyepieces. Looking forward to getting it to a dark sky site and putting it through its paces.

[brian nordstrom]

:mad2:

[brian nordstrom]

she looks very nice. sorry bout the last message [having problems with ice in space web site] anyway that mount looks like one i braught in christchurch 10 or more years ago,it carried a 60mm f15 refractor as well i was impressed with the quality shame i sold it.you just dont see them like that any more .clear skies:thumbsup:

[brian nordstrom]

:hi:

[Glenhuon]

The label on the scope marks it as a Vanex. I believe they were imported by an optician in Perth WA and rebadged. Here's a pic of the (rather agricultural) drive made for it 10 or 12 years ago. Its a stepper motor from an old computer disk drive, the ones that were about the size of a brick and weighed as much, grafted to a reduction gearbox salvaged from an old photocopier and drives the mount through a rubber tyred/knurled setup. The controller is a variable pulse 555 timer feeding into a 4017 decade counter and pulsing the stepper through small switching transistors. Worked reasonably well but some slippage on the rubber tyre. Might look out for a couple of gears to replace it now that I've dug it out of the box.:)

[74tuc]

Here are pics of my imaging and visual setup showing:

1. A TOA 150 refractor for general viewing and photography.
2. An 80mm guidescope on the guiding mount,
3. A Canon EOS 350 with a 20 - 200mm lens(USM) for widefield shots.

Jerry.:)

[matt]

Wow! A TOA 150.

Very nice Jerry. Very nice:D

[RB]

Congrats Jerry, great setup. ;)
May I ask what baseplate you're using between the TOA and the EM400?
I've got the same setup, TOA 150/EM400, but love how you've set yours up with all the extra bits.

:thumbsup:

[Omaroo]

Hey Paul - where's the rest of the counterwight? How much do you have on?

[74tuc]

Offset Plate.

The offset plate is a plate of 6061 Aluminium (would prefer 6081) which has small ammounts of Titanium and Cobalt etc. The plate is 12.7mm thick and weight 3.79 Kg. I calculated the offset dimensions (by hand). All bearing surfaces (EM400 drive boss etc.) are machined. The holes on the RHS are M8 drilled and tapped for accessories. The holes for the TGM-2 mount are countersunk(also tapped). And finally the plate was anodised.

Counter Weight

The total counter weight as seen is 19.5Kg and as shown is "bottom heavy". The little green weight on the end (replaces the safety screw) was made from lead out of battery terminals (all my fishing weights melted!!). This weight has a bolt molded into the lead so it screws in as a replacement "screw". The counter weight was calculated(by hand!) before I made it. Please note that the bottom weight (3.5 Kg) in right on the end of the weight shaft so its effect is maximum. Also the total load, by design is closer to the RA drive axis than in the original Tak design because of the use of the high strength of the structural alloy used in the plate.


Hope this explains things,

Jerry

[duncan]

Hi all,
Here's a shocking photo of me and my new toy.

[Ric]

Hi Duncan, is that your radio telescope in the background. :rofl:

Nice scope

[duncan]

I don't think the missus would let me convert it LOL. I was going to take some photos today but my little darling took the camera up to Mt.Garnet Rodeo.:mad2: LOL

[Omaroo]

The yard imaging cannon is nearing readiness...

After a six-month hiatus, I;ve dragged out the 12" LX and have now fitted one of the William Optics 66mm Petzvals as guide scope. The new larger dew shield I made is felt-lined and seals around the OTA beautifully. The slight extra weight of the shield is good as it offsets the weight of the cameras and G/S. I'm still to fit the lower 2-D counterweight and also need to rotationally balance it around RA. The Dec motor on one fork, along with the GPS affect the balance so I need to occupy the battery recess on the other fork with around 1.25kg.

Should be out and about as soon as I can get GuideDog to run properly on the older (read: semi dew-dispensible) lappy.

There goes the back again........ :doh:

Cheers
Chris

[Ric]

She looks beautiful Chris

But I'm a little bit biased :D

Cheers

[Omaroo]

hehe.. of course you are Ric :) Large SCT's with piggy-backed scopes all mounted on a wedge really are a thing of beauty though, aren't they? I can't wait to see if I can get a good polar alignment now......:scared:

[Ric]

I have also been toying with the idea of a piggy back scope as well, maybe an ED80. but the wedge must come first and I only have enough brownie points for that at the moment.

Cheers

[RB]

Thank you for the info Jerry, I've admired your setup since I first saw it in an featured in an ad in one of the local magazines.

I'm looking forward to setting up my TOA150/EM400 up soon too.

:thumbsup:

[marc4darkskies]

Nice to see other 150 owners - very nice setup there Jerry! See my signature below for a link to my stuff! Have you noticed any differential flexure with your TGM?

Cheers, Marcus

[74tuc]

Hi Chaps,

Thanks for the good words and Marcus I've looked at your first pic on pbase and I think it is very impressive. I like the detail provided with your 'scope/camera. When the financial dust settles here I might consider getting a camera like yours. I told the financial controller here about the wonderful camera you had (she was cooking at the time), she sought of went stiff then started hurling vegies into the wok with more force than I thought was necessary. I walked away without saying a thing and surfed the web:prey: .

Re: Differential flexure.

I am sure the TGM gives negligible the plate flexing will cause more DF. DF can be managed in my case as I do not use focal lengths longer than 3000mm.

The problem I have is that I cannot prove to myself the minute blemishes are caused DF alone. Off axis the star image distortion is caused by spherical aberration (no field flatner), polar alignment inaccuracies, and DF.

I have made a counter weight for the guidescope/mount combination but not installed this weight as the system is still under test.

The main thing is to choose a guide scope matched to your system and choose one that is as light as possible. The optimum guidescope is smaller than one chosen by common rules of thumb. I use an achromatic refractor with a green filter and a B&W guide CCD. Chromatic aberration (and other distortions) has the effect of reducing the guiding accuracy. I am writing a note (partially complete) for the ASSA on the relation between the main 'scope/imaging CCD and the guidescope/guide CCD. I'll pass this on to you when it is completed.

Regards,

Jerry.:)

[marc4darkskies]

Try bribery - worked for me! ;)


I'd be very interested to see that - thanks Jerry! Email me. :thumbsup:

And thanks too for the kind words on my first image ... now if only the moonless nights would coincide with some clear skies for a change!!

Cheers, Marcus

[MortonH]

Here are my humble scopes. The ED115S is not pictured as it's up for sale!

It's incredible to think that I bought the semi-apo Megrez for 679 UK pounds when they first came out, and now you can get an ED80 for less than that in dollars.


Morton

[74tuc]

Hi Morton,

I'm interested to know how much you want for the ED115 - I have a friend who might be interested. Please send me a private email - thanks.

The wide field views through the Megrez would look excellent (?). Next time there is a clear night look at the Stargate asterism at about x50 - tell us what you see. I am most interested.

Marcus,

I'll try the bribary thing later - I'll not lay it on too thick, though - she's got a bit savvy on the cost of things astronomical!!

Re Guide Scopes: I'll send you the first installment on Thursday - I'm off work tomorrow(Wednesday).


Clear Skies,

Jerry.:)

[MortonH]

The ED115 has just sold. Sorry.

Morton

P.S. Excuse my ignorance of southern skies - what's the stargate asterism???

[74tuc]

Hello Morton,

Sorry about the 'scope - Such is life.

Stargate? see:

http://platformx.sourceforge.net/Name/index.html

Jerry.

[MortonH]

Nice - definitely worth looking for.

Morton

[Starkler]

Sold to me in fact :D

Heres a couple of pics of my new toy :)

[Shawn]

Still a work in progress, its taken 18 months to get this far. There is light at the end of this tunnel, I think..

Thanks for looking

Shawn

[Ric]

Woo Hoo, what a nice setup. A real labour of love by the looks of it.

Cheers

[Shawn]

Sure has been a labour of love Ric. Its been half the fun of the whole project.
A few minor frustrations aside...

Cheers mate, :)

[DobDobDob]

Keep going Shawn, it looks awesome!!!

[brian nordstrom]

same here lester:shrug: .i am having the same problems with photos.anyway i love that set up and how good really ,.. good? are those mounts? i would enjoy the mana.(maori word for ."soul with power") anyway i think your set up is coooooool.

[brian nordstrom]

dam sausageman you look like the happiest man in astro land. aint it the coooolest place and the best time to appreciate the nite sky .mmmm. clear skies and hope 1st light was .

[brian nordstrom]

massive, the design is so simple .and she saves yer neck i would have 1 tomorrow but.tt ? do you know where a good optical first surface flat might be found ..,, for a price an average anamateur astrononer might be ready to buy . love that design .cooool.:thumbsup:

[Omaroo]

The newest in the stable:

C8 with XLT coatings. Great optics. Internally flocked so has extra contrast that you really notice.

Cheers
Chris

[astronut]

When do you hand out the cigars Chris?:lol:
Will you bring it on Saturday?

[Ric]

A very nice looking unit Chris, outwardly they are not too different from my 31 year C8 orange tube, inwardly the XLT coatings would definitely make a big difference.

Cheers

[h0ughy]

ummm chris, how many scope do you have now?

[Omaroo]

I gave up smoking years ago John... but will chocolate ones do? :whistle:

Jenny, the Celestron and I will be there on Saturday for sure!

See ya there :D

Chris

[Omaroo]

It's the good old 1970-era orange C8 like yours Ric that gave me a hankering to have one - I've always loved them. I might look for an old orange one next - and although they've come a long way since I'd still love to have one.

I've also always liked one of our members (Martin)'s C8 which really has superb optics. Sharper than a tack. So's this one - once I finish collimating it on Saturday evening.

It's just a nice, small and easily-managed package to take along on field outings.

Cheers
Chris

[Omaroo]

Hmm... :doh: 9....with the bino's still to come...

:screwy:

[Ric]

Hi Chris, after I cleaned the corrector glass and got rid of some milky film that was living on it I think the optics are as sharp as they ever were. It is primarily my holiday scope at our coast house as the 12" is not that transportable.
Even the eyepieces are reasonable for their age but a few new ones won't go astray.

Cheers

[Omaroo]

Amusing that we both have Meade 12" SCT's and Celestron 8" SCT's.....and almost want to live in the same areas. Good taste or what? :lol:

I know exactly what you mean about lugging the 12" around. This was my primary motivator to get the C8.

[Ric]

Of course Chris...

I hope Jenny is not a Chef and blonde like Kee otherwise that might be getting a bit scary :lol:

Cheers

[Astroman]

Here is the latest image of my setup.

On the Left a Skywatcher 8" f6 newtonian on a dobsonian base.

On the right a Skywatcher 8" f6 Newtonian on an EQ6 driven by EQMOD.
On top of the Right 8" f6 Newtonian is Berts 80mm f5.6 Refractor I use for widefield astrophotography. The EQ6 rides on my home made Pier with added tripod legs.

[Ric]

A very nice selection of scopes that you have there Andrew.

Cheers

[iceman]

A couple of pictures I took yesterday of my setup.

[Ric]

Very nice Mike

[matt]

What's that red metallic box on the computer table, Mike?

Perhaps an external hard drive?

[Omaroo]

Nice rig Mike :)

Nice cloud Mike :)

:D

[iceman]

Thanks. :) Yep Matt, it's my 300gig external USB2 hard drive.

Chris that cloud looked very threatening and I thought I'd have to do a quick packup. Luckily it passed by without incident ;)

[[1ponders]]

Mike there is something definately wrong with those pictures. Why do you only have 3 cables attached to mount and telescope????:lol:


Whoops 4 cables. Just spotted the fan power lead :)

[Omaroo]

I did the big swap of one of my WO ZenithStar 66ED Petzvals for a WO Megrez 80SD Mk1 with Morton (here on IIS). He wanted smaller and I wanted larger. We're mutually happy with the result which is great.

I've attached one of my favourite red dot finders along with a heater for the dew shield, finder and eyepiece.

Views are very good for an achromat. Sharp stars and moon - especially with an Orion 1.25" minus violet filter.

Looking forward to making this the travel scope along with the C8 SCT. Should be great for those 4WD trips away into the bush. :)

Cheers
Chris

[G.J.Shepherd]

Hi all,
This is not mine unfortunatley, I just thought I'd post it as it blew my mind.
If you want to know where it came from just message me.

[erick]

They've just pinched the boom gate from the local railway crossing?

[g__day]

Does it come with stilts, or do you dig a 12' pit and just walk carefully round the perimeter?

[monoxide]

to me anything bigger than 20" should be permanently setup in an observatory otherwise it just doesn't seem practical, theres no way id be climbing a ladder in the dark to look through that beast. im sure the views are superb but thats getting dangerous lol.

when i see scopes that large i wonder how often they get put to use.

[smithy1026]

Yes I'd have to agree.

There is only so much you can keep and still remain married with a social life.

I finally got my wife to agree to a platform in the yard for my meagre 8" F4.

Still its work in progress, both the platform and the wife. I think she regrets buying the first 3" reflector for Christmas. I bought 2 more since then and sold the 3" to one of the scout group members. So this is what I've got.

[Alchemy]

Finally got the picture thing to work .... I had to change providers to make it happen. :P So here's a snap of my scope.<p>
bintel modded 12inch, custom rings and mounting plate, ED80 Guidescope, on a losmandy G11 in roll off observatory.

[Tamtarn]

That's a great set up :thumbsup: look forward to seeing it.

[snowyskiesau]

Just finished redecorating the home office (aka spare room) and took some photos of it. While I was at it, I thought I may as well take some
photos of my telescope collection.

1: This is a old (you can tell from the colour!) Celestron 8. Quick to set up.
2: A more recent (well 1991) vintage Celestron C8. This has the Argo Navis attached and the motor drive is from Astromeccanica.
It's on a Celestron/Vixen SP mount
3: Orion ED80 on a Vixen GP mount.

The ED80 gets the most use these days as it's easy to set ip (and I like looking at the moon).
The motors from the SP mount also bolt on to the GP mount but the Argo Navis requires different encoder mountings.

One day, I'll try out some astrophotography, hopefully with better results than these three, that wall is actually yellow :-)

[Ric]

A nice selection of scopes Geoff, something for all occasions.

Cheers

[ballaratdragons]

I too thought it's about time I updated the photo of my gear.

Apart from my 12" that gets used as a Dob, and placed up on top of the enormous EQ, I do all my Imaging nowdays with the ED80.

Here is an image I took of it in the daylight.

Top scope: Imaging - Saxon ED80 with Focal Reducer and DSI
Bottom scope: Guiding - Saxon 120mm f5 with Focal Reducer and Modified Toucam
Finderscope has Security Camera for GoTo star alignment
Green Laser for SCP alignment
Both scopes have heaters
All perched on top of an EQ6 v2.5a with Autoguiding via Guidemaster

1. Me and my scopes
2. Large version

[Ric]

Hi Ken that is a great looking setup that you have got going now.

Cheers

[monoxide]

heres my dob :thumbsup:

gave the primary/secondary a good clean today, just re-collimated and thought id take some photos.

I'm pretty happy with the AN install since its fairly tidy with no wiring going all over the place
The altitude encoder and battery for the argo navis are on the right hand side so they aren't in the way at all and cant be kicked over or knocked, and the whole lot can be disassembled easily.

still on the to-do list is: flock the tube, 10:1 focuser, sdm style wheels and a stalk for the argo (never ends!)

you might notice everything is pretty much held together with velcro and cable ties :P

[Shawn]

All balanced and to semi parfocal , only a laser pionter on the 100 , hiding in this pic, and a modified 40mm with DSI C " crosshair framing hairs fitted"

On the 14er the 350 and the DSI pro,

The combination is quite versatile,

Thanks for looking

Shawn

[mick pinner]

l've finally finished the latest upgrade to the trusty LX200, fitted an on axis counterweight, added the new dew heater system and power adapter.
l've never liked the Meade blue so a complete strip down and a coat of 2 pack white as well as painting the inside with non reflective flat black, and to top it of a new 10:1 focuser on the ED100.

[leon]

Hi Guys, although quite some time ago i did show you what equipment i had, but i would like to show you what it has developed into now.

I just love it, :love: and it all works so well. ;)

Leon :thumbsup:

[Phil]

Very Very nice Leon what else can i say.
Phil

[leon]

Thanks Phil I am very happy with it, and i hope it will serve me for a long time to come.

Leon

[Lee]

Leon - awesome gear..... looks lethal to low flying aircraft!

[PhilW]

Here's a shot of my binoscope. It's 25cm F/5s. Other than the fact the images are in stereo, it is more or less a conventional dobsonian(s). It's made from aluminium, plywood & foamboard. The UTAs rotate in order to adjust the interpupillary distance.

Phil

[mick pinner]

are the mirrors matched Phil, or two random mirrors?

[PhilW]

The mirrors are both GSO mirrors, & the focal lengths are almost identical. They need to be matched within 2% or thereabouts, otherwise the images will be different sizes & won't merge successfully.

Phil

[citivolus]

Collimation must be a *****...

[erick]

Drool! Please Sir, may I have a look through it one day?

Great Phil!

So focus each eyepiece separately, then rotate one or both UTA to get IPD correct? Which is why some talk of using helical focussers instead of draw tube.

Any further adjustment needed for individual users to "match" the images?

[Ric]

Leon & Phil, you both have excellent setups.

Two individual statements in the world of astronomy.

Cheers

[PhilW]

Of course you can look through it Erick, it is a sociable telescope.

Initial collimation is a three-step affair:
1. collimate one side
2. collimate the other side
3. tweak the left-hand mirror with those knobs to merge the images at the eyepiece. It only takes a tiny, tiny adjustment. It is not such a ***** once you have lived with it for a bit.

Then as you surmise, you focus each side separately & rotate the UTAs to get the right interpupillary distance. Which is indeed why helical focusers can work well on these scopes, since they focus without changing the IPD & remove one iteration from the process. I nearly went down this route but in the end just used the most easily available bits (I had half the bits already since I cannibalized a 10" monocular to build it).

Phil

[Satchmo]

If I can add there , the focus IPD thing with Crayfords is no issue, just a matter of always follwing the routine. Just rough focus each eye first. Then set you IPD , then touch up fine focus : the fine focus is maybe a few tenths of a mm so doesn't upset the IPD .

We had 6 people from Macarthur AS looking through Paul Shopiss' 12" binos , they were complete newbies and had no trouble with the adjustments.

A note on focal length differnece for bino mirrors. 2% differnce is the where the brain might start to not co-add images in stereo. I prefer to allow a figure of half that, consisting of 0.5% margin for eyepiece FL difference and 0.5% for mirrors. Which means ideally 6mm for a 50" focal length scope. Mirrors matched in production allow them to be much closer than that.

[Blaznee]

I have finally got around to posting some pictures of my scopes.
I only recently acquired the ST2000-XMC and had to use the diagonal until the extender arrived. I haven't had much of a chance to use it yet but will post my results when I do.

I bought the ZS 80 for my girlfriend so she could share my passion for astronomy.

[Lee]

My most useful piece of equipment..... Allows me to comfortably use the rest of my equipment much more often. :D
Early evening with alpha/beta centauri setting.

[leon]

Nice one Lee, :thumbsup: yep, there is nothing more exciting than your own Observatory, and your stuff is ready for use when called upon ;)

Leon :thumbsup:

[Aster]

250mm F6 home made on an EQ6 pier mounted. Tube is standard concrete forma tube. Diagonal holder and wooden mirror cell is also home made.Bintel Crayford 10:1 low profile focuser with Skywatcher electric focuser. Bintel Finder altered to right angle with a 25.4mm bintel star diagonal. 32 and 25mm Bintel GSO plossl, 20 and 14mm Meade series 5000 plossl and Orion 2x shorty barlow.

Steel Pier has 20mm thick top and bottom plates, 150x150x6mm column sitting on a concrete block 500mm square at top tapering dowm to 1200mm square at the bottom embedded about 1500mm in the ground.

Couldn't make the observatory any bigger, not enough backyard:)

Alexander

[Lee]

Must be cramped in there :lol:

[Aster]

Nah, heaps of room, although must tell the cat to stop putting her spoils in front of the door. ;)

Alexander

[Aster]

Hi Ken,

Just looked at your updated equipment, Saxons. Have you considered mounting them side by side?

A nice piece of 20mm thick ply, water proofed, dovetail bar screwed to the ply and both instruments mounted side by side.

Brings the weight closer to the centre of the mount, less counterweight needed, more stable.

Just a thought.

Alexander

[mill]

Ok here is my pityfull setup.
One skywatcher 120mm achromat with an meade 70mm on top for guiding.
Made the tripod legs last week (sturdy and adjustable).

[Benny L]

simple but effective..

Meade 14inch LX200R "RC"
Losmandy Titan Mount

All inside our home-made dome.

gonna chuck the Tak ontop of the Meade but Mr Losmandy is taking his time with the doveplate that i need <_<

http://www.perthfalcons.com.au/index.php?act=Attach&type=post&id=23700

[Lee]

Looks good - how does the 120mm scope go with the DSI????

[mill]

It works very good, nice widefields :)
When the weather clears ill have to post some pics.
This weather is getting on my nerves :mad2:

[joshman]

okily dokily, here's my setup,
Skywatcher ED80 on Skywatcher HEQ5, powered by an el-cheapo jumpstarter pack, currently using my canon 400D, but will soon have a 350D to dedicate to the scope.

i've also got some LED strips (as illustrated by my funky night exposure) to light my way around teh mount. i have them facing down at the groud so as to not disturb anyone, and i need to put a diffuser on them, just to soften the light a bit more.

[Ric]

Nice setup Josh, I'm after one of them to sit on top of my 12".

Cheers

[Space]

Hello

My C8-SGT (XLT) :
http://www.enregistrersous.com/images2/47828522420071215134955.jpg

http://www.enregistrersous.com/images2/34612067720071215135024.jpg

http://www.enregistrersous.com/images2/166358436020071215135041.jpg


http://www.enregistrersous.com/images2/8724689920071215135057.jpg


http://www.enregistrersous.com/images2/146075157420071215135114.jpg


http://www.enregistrersous.com/images2/13715430420071215135131.jpg

And see : http://astrosurf.com/univers-p/ and :
http://astrosurf.com/univers-p/astro/presentation.htm


Good bye!
Thank you.

[Zuts]

Thats a good solid scope you have there. I hope your window on the universe gives you lots of joy :)

Paul

[§AB]

here's my deep sky, double star and planetary workhorse, as featured in my observing reports...

[Space]

Thank you !

[Omaroo]

The newie - a Takahashi FS60-C sitting on a Takahashi Teegul Sky Patroll II mount, specifically designed to carry the FS60-C.

This will be the permanent wide field imager in my house - and if this weather ever clears I'll get to see how it performs.... :(

[iceman]

You don't need the weather to clear if it's going to be in your house ;) :lol:

[Omaroo]

Good point Mike. Anyone have a spare planetarium projector they cam loan to me?

[goober]

Our equipment has gone through a couple of upgrades since I posted here in '04... latest incarnation, at our bright sky site. The K.I.S.S. principle in action - one scope, one aluminium table, two stools, one atlas - five minutes to set up, five minutes to break down.

[abellhunter]

G'day Astro junkies!

After 30 years of pushing 3-30 inch scopes around the Northern Hemisphere
i have seen Everything, again & again & again!

i did back to back astro events for 34 days in the Andes. Here i saw the entire Milky Way at 12,500 feet elevation, under the darkest & driest skies on the planet. To see Sag. & Sco. at the Zenith, the LMC & SMC etc... let me know without a doubt it was time to Go South!

http://www.anzaobservatory.com/gosouth.html

So after my last observatory became over-run by "progress", i knew it was
time to complete my goal of seeing as many, if not all the NGC catalog.

Always striving for the best in life i had to have an observatory
there, in the Andes. There was a plan, that is dragging now, to build
one in Bolivia. This site, on the shores of Lake Titicaca are the
finest in the world because of the lake's "seeing-cells". BUT
Bolivia is Bolivia, if you get my drift. A great place to visit
but not a place to do business.

my 2nd choice, of course was Chile. Again great place to visit
but no place for an American to live. So here i am, heading
to Australia this year.

my reason for joining your forum is to make connections with
the amateur astronomers in Australia. To get some good advice
on just where i can find:

#1. A well established club that has a dark site that i can
build an observatory/apartment on and use 3-6 months out of
the year. i would let the club use it while i was & was not
there for a win win deal.

#2. Find a dark site with a well established B & B and do
the same.

#3. Find a reasonable 2nd home in a rural dark area, build
the observatory with apartment and have the home rented
out year around. They could be my care-takers.

#4. Find a highly trustworthy amateur and work with them for
a win win deal.

i think that's in just about the order of preference to my
idea of a workable situation that i could live with.

The 2 places now on my list to check out are Alice Springs and Coonabarabran. i like Alice (of course way out of town) a little more just for the fact it's -23 deg or so, and i would get to still see most of the sky.

If you have any suggestions on how & where to bring my observatory
down south please let me know.

Here is the list of optics for this project:

28 inch StarMaster w/GOTO
17 1/2 inch Newt/Dob. w/DSC
C-14 w/Argo Navis
20 x 125 mm Astro binoculars on a heavy duty fork mount

Plus 7 x 50s, 11 x 80s, & 25 X 100s binoculars......
a large Astronomy Atlas collection, Astro. library, computers
etc, etc.....

Everything you would expect in a serious amateur astronomers
observatory!

Sincerely, Lance aka "abellhunter"

[ballaratdragons]

Thanks Alexander.

Not only have I considered it, I did it. But I wasn't happy with it. I ended up putting them back into under/over position.

This photo was when I had my gear side-by-side :thumbsup:

[beren]

:)

[Omaroo]

Mmmmmmm!.... EM200 & Sky90.....

[RB]

Beautiful setup Stuart.
What base plate are you using?

[beren]

Gday Andrew the base plate and the dovetail plate for the Sky90 are from BT technologies, solid and nicely finished gear. The twin saddle plate is the Losmandy DSBS {pretty heavy}, Iv'e since changed the C9.25 dovetail plate to a losmandy one as well.

[netwolf]

I was thinking today of my journey so far in terms of equipment.
1. My first was the 10" GSO dob that started it all. A light bucket.
2. My first CAT, the 8" LX90 replaced the above to give me a Goto and tracking telescope for Planetary imaging.
3. My first EQ Mount, the G-11 mount, to replace above to allow for a range of Telescopes to come.
4. My first Refractors, the Borg's 100ED and 76ED. Widefield DSO imaging setup.
5. The CAT OTA C8 Fastar to replace the LX90. Pic from previous owner in US. For Planetary imaging on the G-11 and possibly DSO work in the future.
6. The Widefield Imaging Setup.
7. The Planetary Imaging Setup.

[Kal]

lol Fahim, that 4th pic of your two borg refractors is a very sneaky pic!!! I immediately thought you had 3 refractors there :D

[netwolf]

Andrew, yes the illusion is nice but short lived. It would make a nice binoscope.

[bloodhound31]

As I cant get far enough back to take one photo of the entire inside of the obs, I have to take a few and stitch them together....
here goes..
http://i27.tinypic.com/2cnv8nq.jpg
and
http://i31.tinypic.com/2qkttn4.jpg

[Escortitis]

Wanted to show you all my gear. It's been a while in the making but I've finally got my setup to a point where I might start enjoying what we do rather than running into problem after problem. I spent a lot of time trying to make several different types of dob platforms but none where up to the job of imaging, quite obvious now..................but I am a newbie and the learning curve is steep! (vertical in some cases!)

Anyway, I've ended up with a modded 12" lightbridge on a G-11. The lightbridge is probably not the best imaging scope but once aperture fever takes hold.........I also like the idea of imaging straight onto the chip, no glass to go through seemed like a good thing. I've had to move the mirror up the tube about 30mm and use a motorized low profile focuser. This leaves me with about 8mm of in focus to spare. The plate for attaching the dovetail was my little creation, it's ultra solid and so far has shown no flex as it moves around the sky. The trusses have been tweaked to make sure they stay put, again they seem to be doing just that. The most important thing I found I had to do was upgrade the collimation locking screws to make sure the mirror didn't shift under it's own weight.

Guiding with the little 80 on Losmandys' side-by-side setup seems good, and that's my 900spc inside a bit of 50mm alli tube sticking out the back of it. I'm yet to test out long guides with this setup, but it should be OK.

Now all I have to do is learn the finer art of imaging! Keep posting everyone, I find it amazing the amount of knowledge you can find in one spot.
:D

[iceman]

Wow, first time I've seen that!
Nicely done!

[h0ughy]

mmm wonder how a 16" lightbridge would go?

[Escortitis]

Give me a Titan, I'll 'ave crack at it!
:D

[Ric]

Very nice setup.

Cheers

[Maverick]

Here's my GOTO.Nice and easy.:D
Cheers

[anthony.tony]

This is one setup Ed80mm -Canon 350D sigma 100-300 zoom -Mogg lens adapter.

[Omaroo]

Yay! I finally have a polar mount I can image with. I'm so over not being in a position to be able to guide. My particular EQ5 was junk, the worms were terrible and it didn't have any electronics. Basic motor-driven EQ5 with 60 arc-sec PE - the imagers dream!

Anyhoo - picked up this brand new non-Gemini guy from BinTel today. Thanks Don, Mike & Michael!

Coming soon is an Argo Navis - push-to appeals to me.

Should be great with the C8 and little Tak guiding it. On occasion I'll put the Megrez 80 on and use it to guide, and image through the Tak - or vice-versa. If I put on the Megrez to guide the C8 as standard configuration, I can still use the Tak on the SkyPatrol-II mount at the same time. Can't wait.....

This and the new (2nd hand) 350D I bought this week (off to Hong Kong soon for some mods) will get the astrophotography juices flowing again.... or I give up!

[Dave47tuc]

Time for a update. After just a few scopes one more for the road.;)

Got this one of Lars. Sort a second hand EQ5 then re greased the mount it moves very smooth and drives well.
Notice the tripod! enginered from 25mm square section!

Scope is a Takahashi MT 160 Newtonian. Not many of these around.
Aperture 160mm F6. Has a F4.8 reducer and I have a F8 corrector on the way.

Scope is very well built and you can see its a Tak scope. Focuser is super smooth. No its not a huge scope but is big enough for me these days.:)

[robgreaves]

Hi everyone

You may or may not know I recently moved to Australia from the UK. I'm a keen imager, and was influential in the Campaign for Dark Skies (CfDS) in the UK, as a Local Officer for Cambridgeshire.

I've had loads of different astro gear over the years, various Astro Physics and Bisque Paramount ME mounts, loads of OTAs, more CCD cameras than I can shake a stick at, adaptive optic units etc.

My current imaging rig that I've settled on is my Astro Physics AP1200GTO (best mount out there in my opinion - and I've tried the lot), Takahashi TOA150 (best refractor I've ever used) and SBIG STL1100M camera.

I also use the STL for wide field with a Zeiss 75mm SLR lens, and a Canon 300mm f/4 L series lens, and also a Pentax 75 SDHF - the worlds best astro imaging secret!

I'm also nearing completion of an 18" f/4.4 Dobsonian with a Mark Suchting optic.

Future plans are a major CNC engineering project to design and build a custom truss RC for those smaller DSO imaging tasks, and to build another observatory. I really miss the one I had in the UK!

Regards,
Rob.

[Ric]

Lovely bit of gear you have there Rob.

Thanks for showing us the picture

Cheers

[g__day]

Well I have the Lumicon off-axis guider in here - but they sent a 16" SCT attachment rather than a 2" extender for the 1.25" DSI - sigh. Still gear is starting to shape up!

[lknowlen]

(1.) 6" F/10 refracting telescope housing vintage Jaegers objective lens. Observatory facility in background. (Mountaingate, CA.)
(2.) George Lutz with his large aperture refractor.
(3.) 10"F/12 Zeiss refractor (Norway)
(4.) 10"F/12 Zeiss objective lens. (Norway)
(5.) 12"& 9" Zeiss refractors (Griffith Observatory, Los Angeles, CA.)
(6.) 10"F/15 refractor housing vintage Zeiss objective lens. (Los Angeles, CA.)
(J.Pons, telescope owner. Photo by Clintstars.com)
(7.) !0" Reflector designed and built by Alberto Montalvo in 1990 for lunar planetary work. (Burbank, CA.)
(8.) Set of Brandon oculars by Vernonscope&CO

[TrevorW]

Hi All,

I've had this Astronomy bug for most of my life and have spent over the last 30 years probably several thousand dollars on the hobby and been through three scopes even built my own scope and mount in the early years.

One thing I've noticed is that as a group we all appear to be equipment freaks.

Attached is a photo of my latest scope and even now I'm dreaming of another scope and mount for those retirement years.

42080

[spikeface]

sound the trumpets!

after lots of helpful advice from fellow forum people, i have finally got my meade lightbridge 12"!!!!!

so many, many thanks to those who helped out with my selection... it's first light tonight, and i must say, the sky at the moment looks crystal clear!

hoooooorrrraaayyyy!!!:rofl:

[Ric]

Congrats Spikeface, hope you have a lot of rewarding nights with your new scope and hope it stays clear tonight.

Cheers

[Tandum]

Here is my current rig.

42668

[tnott]

The 16" Tridob has recently had Argo Navis and Servocat Junior fitted so I'll post it here again.

Now I have a 16" GOTO telescope that folds up and fits in the boot of a corolla!

[§AB]

^^^Nice!

here's my 12" dob. Southern Victorian weather means that I can never actually use it. Oh well, November (start of spring in Sth Vic) isn't that far away I guess.

It's a great scope, I fondly remember my views of NGC 3242 at high power and the eta carina nebula under those relatively steady, transparent summer night skies.

[Dave47tuc]

Update again:whistle: This time with the new pier made for the EQ5:thumbsup:
But I may update the mount again this year. Depending on what fits the pier with minimal mods.:)

[dugnsuz]

Here's my setup...
I like it (for now;))
Doug:thumbsup:

[FlashDrive]

After much consideration and my spending budget, I have purchased a Intes Micro M500 Mak. Takes 2'' ep as well as the normal ep's. Please note: the pics are not mine, but illistrate the OTA I have coming in a few days. Also have a Meade Series 5000 80mm APO Triplet. It's obvious I like portability in my Scope selection....:D

[FlashDrive]

This is one of my Scopes...Meade 5000 80mm Triplet. Nice little one giving very crisps views indeed...and using Series 5000 Meade eye pieces......:D

[AlexN]

Heres my scopes...

The 8" F/6 Skywatcher Dob and the Saxon 6" F/8 Refractor (thats my D50 hanging off the back of it)

Unfortunately as im still waiting on stock for an EQ6pro, the refractor images are of it sitting on a table.. It shall be put to use very soon...

(I have however balanced it on some bits and pieces outside and taken a VERY close photo of Brisbane city from 25km away... but the exposure wasnt quite long enough to bother posting it up..)

Im still in awe of just how big a 6" refractor actually is... Its not what I had imagined when I first considered buying it... every time I look at it i get a case of the giggles and think to myself.. imagine what people would say if i took that to the V8 supercars or the Footy finals... "Now thats what I call a BIG ARS3 TELEPHOTO LENS!"

[beren]

Haven't had much to add with astronomical talk or try hard imaging due to work and frustrating weather lining up with free time but here's a pic of some gear waiting for first light :P still waiting for adapters :whistle:

[Omaroo]

Ah.. lovely. Beren - how are you liking the FS60-C?

What finder is that on the FSQ106? Is it an illuminated Tak 7x50 or a W/O? If it's a Tak I WANT!!!

I'm expecting my FS102 before too long, and I'll marry it to my FS60-C as well - but on my G11. Would like an EM200, but the C* and associated gear was too heavy for one... :(

Very nice setup indeed. :thumbsup:

[beren]

Gday Chris, congrats on the FS-102 great stuff, the finder is a Tak illumated 7x50. Unfortunately the only object Ive looked at amongst the three is a gum tree 3km away :whistle:;)

[AlexN]

an update... now the refractor has its home.. and tube rings for the 8" are in the post :D

Imaging : Here I Come!

[DistroMan]

I love my dobbie..... :)

[TrevorW]

Nice little set up looks quite portable !!!

:thumbsup:

[Tandum]

Here's my new stuff ready to go. Now if only the clouds would part :rolleyes:

[AlexN]

Hell - Yeah! Looks great Robin, The side-by-side setup always looks pro :D

Clouds MIGHT not be so bad around 12 - 3am tomorrow morning.. I'll be keeping an eye on it...

[Ric]

That's a lovely looking setup Robin, you must be very proud of it.

[Tandum]

Thanks guys, it was easier to balance than I thought it would be, although the refractor looks a tad long :) It was dwarfed when the dob was there. It's not as stable as it was with the Vixen on it's own either, so roll on the eq6. No pics tonight, the clouds came in hard and killed it.

[AlexN]

Didnt they ever... I was at work looking at jupiter rising at around 6:30 - 7pm thinking "hell yeah... I might get a few Jupiter images tonight... by 7:45 it was thick high and low altitude blankets.... :(

[TrevorW]

Heres an update on my gear, camera replaced under warranty, Orion Autoguider, New mount, now all I need to do is figure out how to make it all work togethor. Don't think I'll be buying anything to signifcant for some time.

:thumbsup:

[AlexN]

Niiiiiice Trevor! Looks very swanky all in black! :) You must let me know how that Orion Autoguider goes!.

Now, get it outside!! :D

PS.... Nice Star Trek collection over in the corner :D

[Ric]

Lovely setup Trevor and as Alex said nice Star trek collection as well.

Cheers

[beren]

:) Very nice Trevor, cool finderscope

[Malmsteen]

k i hvae had the blue teloscope for about 4 years i got it a dicksmiths for $100 and works well the stand has been very good and holds the scope and moves well ,For $100 new Greats i say with 5 eyes peices 114 cm

The other as u can see is a 12 inch , that i got from andewrs communications with a 10/1 grayford 4 eyes peices 1 a 2 inh for $700 , I am very happy with the teleoscope the 12inch is great , its a bit hard to move around but will if in my geatz , the hard part if finding what u want to look at , i am still finding it hard to find some thining s but i think we all are so there u go for under $1000 i can see far far out there in the the black :eyepop:

[TrevorW]

Nah !! I'll just let it sit inside and admire it :rofl::rofl::rofl:

[§AB]

Here's my 12" dob:

[Ric]

Nice looking rig SAB.

I see your cat is like mine, if the camera is out then moggy has to make sure he's in the picture.

cheers

[vash]

Now that I have 2 camera's I can finally take a shot of my set up rig, have to wait for clear skies though.

[§AB]

lol nah my cat just likes to crawl in at random times to sleep on my bed :D
he really favours me over the rest of the family :D

The scope is quite old (previous owner had it for several years - not sure how many though), a quick look at the mirror and the body gives it all away ;) but I'm still flabbergasted that she picked up a mag 15.95 star from my backyard, and she has shown me my first PGC galaxies :D I know that a 12" is some serious equipment but I really didn't expect her to go so deep especially from my Berwick backyard :eek:

Bloody hell, I can't imagine what I'd witness through this thing under real dark skies!

[Omaroo]

The weather sucks this evening. New scope and moon with great terminator happening - all behind rain and cloud. Anyway - I'm bored so I thought I'd take a shot OF the scope if I couldnt shoot through it. LOL!

Takahashi FS-102 (w/Tak 7x50 Illuminated finder) and FS-60C (w/Tak 6x30 finder) on Losmandy G11.

[AlexN]

I have drooled on my keyboard :D
Very nice Chris!

[Matty P]

That an awesome setup Chris! :D

Very very nice! :thumbsup:

[Matty P]

Here's my imaging setup. It will be soon mounted in a roll off roof observatory on a pier. :)

Celestron C8 on an EQ6 Pro and a 70mm Guidescope.

I will be soon purchasing the William Optics FLT98 or William Optics Megrez 90 to replace my current guidescope and it will also double as an imaging scope as well.

:thumbsup:

[Irish stargazer]

Hi

Here is my collection of Scopes. I haven't had much chance to use them for the past few months due to the awful weather we have been having.

[Omaroo]

Thanks Alex & apologies for the k/b!!!.

Matty you have, yourself, a top setup there. When you complement the C8 with an APO you can both guide and image with you'll be in heaven. I still have & love my C8, and it will be topped with my WO Megrez 80SD (achro) as an alternative, narrow-field imaging unit to the Tak/Tak system. I won't use the Megrez for photography, but it makes a fine g/s. Have you come closer to any decision on which refractor you're considering?

[§AB]

Nice collection Irish Stargazer. Weather has been crap here aswell, one clear night in 4 months beleive it or not. I hate Melbourne sometimes.

That's a hot setup Chris, sorry to hear about Melbourne weather invading Canberra!

[Irish stargazer]

Thanks for the tip on the weather SAB. My wife and I are visiting Sydney and Adelaide next month to have a look around before we decide where to move to. I guess that's Melbourne out then;).
Actually, we had our first clear night since May just last night.

[§AB]

Don't bother with Melbourne! As a stargazer, I'd estimate about 95% of the country has a potentially better climate.

Adelaide is pretty crap in winter aswell, but as soon as spring starts, their weather warms up and clears up while Melbourne is still stuck in a rut. Their summers are much hotter and therefore better.

Whn it comes to astronomy, melbourne is at the back of the pack.

[Matty P]

Thanks Chris,

Yes I have to agree with you. Once I get an APO to accompany my C8 I am going to have a very flexible setup. I will be able to use my C8 for narrowfield imaging and an APO for widefield imaging. :D

As for the refractor, my first choice will be the new William Optics FLT98 APO otherwise I will go for the Megrez 90.

:thumbsup:

[AlexN]

Gear update.. Finally got around to taking pics OF them rather than through them... :) (CLOUDS...)

Anywho..

Images show all my astro imaging gear, apart from the EQ6 which was outside, and I figure, Everyones seen one before.

Celestron C11 XLT + Moonlite motorized focuser
WO Megrez 102
Canon 70-200 F/4L + 1.4x Tele Extender
DBK31AU
QHY8
ADM Side by side bar

I am.. A Very. Very. Happy boy!!

[Tandum]

Do you have 2 focusing points/knobs on that honking big scope?

[AlexN]

yeah, the standard focus knob that moves the primary mirror for coarse adjustment, and the moonlite microfocuser for very VERY fine adjustment to get things just right. (PC driven when the shoestring FCUSB arrives)

[Calibos]

Orion Skyquest XT12i
Brian Reed Equatorial Platform
Telrad
GLP
Moonlite with Rigel Motofocus
Dual Use Collapsible Scope Trolley and EP Table
...More mods than I care to mention

[iceman]

Nice looking scope, Calibos! :welcome: to IceInSpace.

[Ric]

Hi Keith and welcome to IIS.

That is one excellent looking and well thought out setup.

Cheers

[§AB]

man that's a pretty pimpin setup!

[TrevorW]

Alex

Great gear

Irish, Perth for stargazers less population, mediterranean weather, plenty of sunshine even through the winter months max rainy period at a stretch is only 2 weeks

Cheers

[Calibos]

Many thanks for the welcomes and kind words guys.

So Perth is the place to be for astronomy in OZ? Well lucky me then. Always wanted to visit my Aunt, Uncle and cousins in Perth. They can put me up for a few weeks and one of the Perth forumites can give me "The Tour" :lol:

Have a mate emigrating to Perth too. Thats another place to stay if the relatives get sick of the sight of me! :lol:

[Irish stargazer]

Nice to see another Irishman and IFAS member on the site. Nice set up you have there. I wil be in Sydney/ Adelaide in two weeks time.

[Tilt]

Finally!

I have now mounted my 10" GSO Newt onto the EQ6 (was waiting a couple of months for the tube rings).

Some before and after shots :)

Michael

[Tandum]

What are the black couterweights mike?

[Tilt]

2 x 2.5kg dumbell weights. The 2 supplied EQ6 counter weights alone were not enough to get the whole rig balanced.

Michael

[AlexN]

First night out! :)

[Tandum]

Seems a bit cruel jamming all that light into that tiny little camera :)

[AlexN]

it didnt even emit smoke :D she'll be right..

It didnt even get a chance to fully cool down before the clouds rolled in.

[Tandum]

Yep same here, so much for that cloud prediction site :(

Your tripod is arse about too. That leg normally points south in this hemishpere, but I'm sure it makes no difference in the long run. I had to move the locating bar on mine to the other hole.

[AlexN]

yeah, I've found that it says balanced like that, I've tested it for stability and its fine as is.... and I've already set bricks into the grass in that orientation... :) Thar she stays!

[Matty P]

That looks awesome Alex. :D Great to finally see some pics. :)

The C11 makes the EQ6 look small.

Just a question, What type of focuser do you have on your C11, as I am looking for a crayford type focuser for my C8.

:thumbsup:

[AlexN]

Its a Moonlite motorized unit.. Having a play quickly tonight before the clouds rolled in, its VERY nice.. focusing was very easy and smooth, although the scope was nowhere near cool enough to call what I was seeing "Focused" :) It was $450AUD shipped from the US.

It does definitely look big up on there doesnt it :D Getting it on wasnt the easiest of tasks either :D I love it!

[Matty P]

Yes, the Moonlite range of focusers look great but they are expensive. I'd love to have one on my SCT.

Where did you get it from?

Thanks :thumbsup:

[AlexN]

direct from moonlite.. It was expensive, but you have to remember you get what you pay for... Its a work of art Matty.. very strong, graduated scale on the draw tube, will hold alot of weight (QHY8 + filters without a worry) and best of all, the focal reducer for the scope is fitted inside the focuser, onto the front end of the drawtube, this keeps the reducer at the same distance from the focal plane for all imaging which is a good thing.

[AlexN]

I just realised I hadnt posted a pic of my wide field setup before... and since I had it all set up for tonight, I figured it was time to show off my babies!! :D

M102 + ST80 ready for a nights imaging.

[Ric]

Very nice looking setup Alex.

The sky in the second image looks great, bet it was a good night out.

Cheers

[Matty P]

Awesome widefield setup Alex. Man you have a great list of equipment. :)

Look at at the cables!

:thumbsup:

[Dave47tuc]

A new change:rolleyes:

SW 12" Flexi Newtonian on Dob base. Have not seen first light yet.
I got this scope as its about as big as I can go in my small car.
Tube fits in the back seat with room to spare.

I may or may not Mod, will depend how it all goes. Fit and finish of this scope and mount is very good for been made in China.
The mount seems very smooth. It may have some flex in the top. See how it goes using high power.

Just could not get satisfaction with a small scope:whistle:

[monoxide]

the imaging rig is getting there... still waiting on a couple more dew heaters and proper side by side plate..

its a Tak FS102 next to an ED80 + QHY8/5 on HEQ5 with portable pier..
i think i need to work on the cable management :P
i mounted a powered USB hub between the scopes so i only have 1 USB cable coming back to the laptop.

anyway.. time to go drift align :doh:

[Astrod00d]

Hi All,

This is my imaging rig as of September 2008. Yes, it's a work in progress.:)
Based on my results, I modify/improve it little bit every month or so.

127mm APO and QHY8 for imaging
ED80 and QHY5 piggybacked for guiding
EQ6 with Losmandy-style dovetail for minimum flexure
Custom-made USB hub and power distribution system.
Cables neatly routed to prevent tangles in the dark.
One USB cable back to the laptop
Powered from a very heavy 100AH battery

Cheers,

Rob

[AlexN]

Monoxide and Astrod00d, Both very nice looking setups....

Rob, I must say I like your cable management.. Shows I have a long way to go... :)

Wanna post some diagrams of how you made that usb distribution block... definitely tidies things up a bit... :)

[Roy]

This is me and my 20" Obsession which I bought recently and my imaging set up which I am in the process of putting together.

Unfortunately the Obsesssion has only been out a couple of times thanks to the weather in the Uk, it's rubbish.:windy:

Not quite there with the imaging set up yet but hopefully it won't be to long before I can start imaging again.

[danielsun]

Welcome to the forum Roy :welcome:. Geez I bet you enjoy the awesome views through the 20"
It has been a while and here is my latest set up with my cheeky youngest, Ryan.

Cheers Daniel.

[Dave47tuc]

Lock and load Daniel, your ready to fire.:thumbsup:

[Ric]

Hi Roy and welcome to IIS, the Obsession looks a beauty.

That's a great looking setup as well Daniel. Does the young fella have a interest yet or is it too soon to tell?

Cheers

[danielsun]

Thanks Ric. ;) He and his older brother have the occasional look through but still a bit young yet.

[Bloodbean]

Hello everyone,

I've finally got my new setup up and just started viewing a few nights ago! It's a 200mm F4 newtonian with a Stellarvue F50 finderscope on a Skywatcher HEQ5Pro mount. I've got EQMOD up and running with StarryNightPro which is absolutely brilliant on my laptop! :thumbsup:Just need to have a go with guiding now. Have been tinkering with PHD Guiding software, but haven't had an actual run due to clouds. Second pic is my current imaging setup, a Canon 40D with 70-200mm F/4L lens. Even just straight on the mount it takes 2 minute shots @200mm with a reasonably good polar alignment. I'm very pleased with the HEQ5Pro, I think for the money it's a great platform with a lot of possibilities. I just can't understand who thought it was a good idea to have an excessively powerful red light illuminating the polarscope! :screwy:

Troy

[AlexN]

Looks nice troy! :)

The 70-200L will definitely take some nices images for you :thumbsup:

[leinad]

A quick snap of my rig, minus imaging equipment, bells and whistles.

[AlexN]

quick update - new guide scope / wide field imager..

WO ZS66 Petzval riding on top of WO Megrez 102 ED

[Spanrz]

Ok, here's my setup.
After a 10 year hiatus, owning 76mm Refractor (el cheapo) and a 4 1/2" Newt on a EQ mount, I'm back now to my hobby with the "Big Daddy".
The 4 1/2" met a firey death, as it was burned in a house fire...:eyepop:

[Omaroo]

The latest field incarnation - FS-102, FS-60C, SBIG ST-8i and QHY5 on G11. I don't know about anyone else, but by the time you get this setup as well as the two laptops, tables, hutches and power requirements built and pointed it's almost time to go home! LOL!

Time for that observatory....... :(

[Ric]

Very nice indeed Chris.

[Omaroo]

Thanks Ric :)

It's certainly filling the car up these days.... :lol:

[astroron]

No Disrespect, but your rig reminds me of a promotion for Isuzu trucks at the Brisbane Truck Show Quite a few years ago.:(A large Truck with progresevly
smaller trucks stacked on one another.
Nice rig all the same.:thumbsup:

[Matty P]

Cool setup Chris but it definitely looks like you need an Observatory. I'd hate for all those cables to get tangled up. :scared: :eyepop:

:thumbsup:

[Omaroo]

I'll show my wife your post Matty. Thanks :)

[astronut]

As complex as it looks, Chris is able to assemble or disassemble this rig quickly.
Everything has a place and is in place, Well done mate!!:thumbsup:

[Matty P]

:lol:

I forgot to say that you also need LRGB filters as well for your new camera. :rofl:

;)

[Omaroo]

..keep going!!!!! :thumbsup:

:rofl:

[AlexN]

and Ha SII OIII filters, water cooling, Adaptive optics, and a TOA-150.. housed in an observatory... Then you'd surely not tangle any cables... Although an AP900GTO might be a good idea just to be sure :D

Alex.

[Omaroo]

AP900? Pffttt.... 1200 :)

[TJD]

I HAVE 12 INCHE DOB THAT YOU CAN SEE WITH ME IN MY PICTURE THINGY
AND A 6INCHE SCT WITH NEXSTAR COMPUTER GOTO AND TRACKING ALSO IN MY PICTURE THINGY AN A NEXT IMAGE CAMMERA THAT IVE STILL GOT TO WORK OUT HO TO USE I THINK BY THE TIME I LEARN HOW TO USE IT:screwy::D

[bloodhound31]

I had a bit of fun with my Setup, Photostitch, and a MW pic from the net...:thumbsup:
Baz.

[DobDobDob]

Nice setup Baz :thumbsup:

[Ric]

Great looking setup Baz and the addition of the Milky Way looks fantastic.

[AlexN]

The latest additions to the arsenal...

Losmandy plate on the C11, and much more importantly... The SBIG ST-9E

Pretty exciting stuff! :)

Alex.

[madwayne]

Nice bit of kit Alex.

Here is my setup, ED80/QHY5 mono at the front, Tak FSQ106N/Orion Star Shoot Pro behind it, with a modded 20D piggy backed up top. Note the control box just in front of the ED80. With this I only need to run a USB cable and a 12 volt lead down to the battery pack to power dew heaters, control both cameras and the electric focuser on the FSQ. I power the mount seperately (17 amp hr battery pack not shown), also the mount is controlled via EQDIR so there is a USB lead for that too. At the end of the imaging session I crank the focussers in, unplug 3 USB leads and lift the scopes on the side by side plate straight in to the black box in the background.

Wayne

[AlexN]

Wayne.. Nice bit of kit you've got there yourself! :)

[Ric]

Wayne & Alex, they are both nice looking setups.

I like that SBig, can't wait to see the images.

Cheers

[mick pinner]

just finished setting up the new gear to make sure everything works as l hope it will.
l had to make a few mods to the mounting plate and l have made the new counterweights and balanced everything.
polar alignment is done so now a few imaging runs and some time to get used to the Argo Navis.

[Jay-qu]

My 8inch Dob arrived, along with my 40,25,7mm William Optics eyepieces - gotta love 21st birthdays :) :)

I took it our for a quick look last night, a little smoke haze but I was still very impressed with the views of Orion and the milky way. I spent a while just panning at 30x 2.3 degrees of sky.. beautiful, makes you a little dizzy :P

not much point in a pic, you all know what a Synta looks like :P

[troypiggo]

Went to the Leyburn dark site on the weekend. In all the excitement of setting up, meeting new people, and taking images I forgot to get a shot of my rig. Fortunately for me, someone else did without me knowing. That's me on the right. Handsome devil, aren't I...

You can see the gold Skywatcher ED80 Pro with 30D (unmodified) for imaging, Skywatcher Short Tube 80 with Meade DSI II Pro on top for guiding, HEQ5 Pro mount. The small table has a black plastic box that I put my laptop in to try to keep dew off it. I put the lid on when I can.

http://piggo.com/%7Etroy/images/potn/troys_rig.jpg

[Tandum]

Here is my latest piece of hardware.
This will carry all the gear to dark skys :)

Just won it off ebay and have waterproof covers on order.

[Ric]

That's a neat looking setup Robin.

It looks like it will do the trick quite nicely.

Cheers

[BerrieK]

Troy that looks AWESOME!!!:thumbsup:

[troypiggo]

:D It is awesome!

[bluescope]

Geez Alex ... I notice your ST-9E is water cooled mate :whistle:

:thumbsup:

[AlexN]

Hahaha! Nice pickup Steve!

Funny you should mention it, but it does have watercooling, I have the pump etc all here ready to go.. Just getting used to the camera as is before I start adding a bucket of water to my setup "to-do" list.. :)

[bluescope]

I've got a little pump too but I'm scared about kicking the bucket over in the obs :scared: :rofl:

:thumbsup:

[AlexN]

Indeed! that too is my main concern.. Im going to use a bucket I have here, that has an airtight lid (and when full of water can be laid on its side without it leaking) I'll put the pump in it, and put two hose barbs in the lid, sealed with ridiculous amounts of sillicone, so that its all a sealed unit, and then run hoses from the top of the bucket to the camera.. Mind you we're coming into the "cold" season here soon, so that might be a project for the month pre-summer late this year.. :)

[bluescope]

Yeah there's no hurry to do things like that now ... it'll be getting nice and cool soon. I like your sealed bucket idea ;)

:thumbsup:

[Dingo]

Here is a picture of my 8 Inch Saxon Collapsible Dob. As a newbie to astronomy I am really happy with what I can actually see with it.

Next to it, is a Tri-pod. This tri-pod is all that is left from a Refractor telescope I owned 3 yrs ago. I had it for about 2 months , still learning how all the knobs on it worked. One night looking at the moon, my young 8 yr son wanted to have a look, Instead of moving himself to the eye piece he pulled the eye piece towards him. Gravity took over after that , and it went boom.
:sadeyes:. As you can see though, I kept the tri-pod, any ideas on what I can use it for :-). I have seen most of you are pretty handy with ideas like that

I couldnt go mad at Trav either as he is low level autistic and had/has no concept of gentle or how things move.
So far he's been great with Dob, as there is less to pull on.

Dingo

[leon]

This is amazing, this thread has had nearly 52, 000 hits, ten times more than the existing members on this site, amazing.

leon

[starlooker]

Nice pics everybody! :eyepop: :thumbsup:

[toryglen-boy]

i believe the word your looking for is AWESOME !!!


:thumbsup:

[erick]

Maybe even really SICK! In the gen-Y type of way!


I'd better get some updated pics in here sometime. I'll wait until my third (:whistle: ) scope is all together. Oh, and the Galileoscopes are yet to come - I'll have to put one on an EQ mount and photograph that! :D

[scopemankit]

Here is a pic of my 12" (made by Les Sissons in 1950, mounted on a GEM I made in 1993. Driven by Mel Bartels' "scope". The stepper motor has been gong since 2001. It sits in a newly made dome. (One of our visitors suggested building a bottle opener onto the cass making it the compleat scope)!


See dome construction details at:-

http://cid-39aa894903a43927.photos.live.com/summary.aspx?sa=242849414
All this is based at the Cederberg Observatory, situated in the Cedrberg mountain range 200Km north of Cape Town. Good skies and no light pollution.
On Saturdays (except for full moon and weather permitting) we (seven owners who have built the obs sinc acquirng it in 1988) open to the public, most of whom come from the guest and camping farms in the area.

[erick]

That's an interesting shape of dome, Chris. Thanks for showing us.

[Ric]

Hi Chris, that pier looks interesting.

It looks like a carved rock or concrete.

Cheers

[scopemankit]

HI Ric,

It is cast concrete (with a cubic memter below ground.
If you go to:- http://cid-39aa894903a43927.photos.l...x?sa=24 2849414 (http://cid-39aa894903a43927.photos.live.com/summary.aspx?sa=242849414)
You can see the original casting in 1993 ( and the subsequent building of the dome).

[Shaun]

I think it is time i posted my new setup with the Gstar that arrived today, i need a couple more cables to get the mount automated then i will be on my way.

If the the weather holds out will test tonight.

[AussieAaron]

Chris,
Awesome setup you have there, Thanks for sharing your pics

Shaun,
you also have a good set up, I see you have the camera hooked upto the scope aswell as a TV Monitor, Nice one
Aaron

[AlexN]

Might as well post this...

My ever-changing setup! :)

GSO 8" RC, ST9E, EQ6 Pro + clear skies!... :)